A St. Albert baseball diamond is out of commission this weekend after someone decided to light it on fire to dry it out.
Fire and police officers converged on Legion Memorial Ball Park Friday afternoon after a passing RCMP patrol saw smoke at about 1:30 p.m.
Upon investigation, fire crews learned that someone had spread gasoline and diesel over the bases of the mosquito diamond and lit them on fire to try and dry them out. Five children's baseball teams were on site at the time for a tournament.
The fire was out when officers arrived, said Capt. Charles Tye of the St. Albert Fire Department. Crews roped off the area to protect people from fumes and called in a dangerous goods team to remove contaminated soil.
The field is closed until further notice, Tye said. "At this point, there's no risk to anybody. What we're trying to do is protect the environment." The contaminated soil and bases will have to be removed and replaced, which will likely take at few days. He was unsure of what it would cost.
Tye was not sure if the fires had been extinguished or allowed to burn out. Heavy rains helped keep forests in the nearby Sturgeon River Valley safe from the blaze. "Any other given day, it could have been a large hazard."
“Terrible error in judgment”
The spill never left the ball diamond, said city environmental manager Leah Jackson, and was unlikely to contaminate the Sturgeon River. It has been reported to Alberta Environment.
Officials are still investigating, said city recreation services director Monique St. Louis, but believe the fire was set at the suggestion of a team from another country. It's unclear who set the blaze or if any charges would be laid.
The St. Albert Minor Baseball Association (SAMBA) manages the field, she continued, and has vowed to do whatever it takes to clean up the diamond. "It was a terrible error in judgement."
St. Albert does not allow people to set fires outside of approved areas, Tye said. "Obviously, a ball diamond is not one of those approved areas." Spilling fuel and lighting it on fire is dangerous, he emphasized, as the fumes can ignite and set you ablaze. "Use a certain amount of common sense."
Public works does not use fire to dry its sports fields, said Bob Stephen, the city's manager of municipal operations. "All we do is let Mother Nature take care of it."
The baseball teams took the blaze in stride, practicing a little slow-pitch nearby before relocating to Westlock.
SAMBA president Ed Ewasiuk, reached by phone in Calgary, declined comment as he did not have all the details on the fire.
